“Missouri is a bubble team.”Dan Wolken, @DanWolken, as Mizzou floundered their way to their fifth road loss in the SEC with a frustrating 70-68 loss at Texas A&M, Twitter

“I don’t think anybody thought this team could miss the NCAA tournament but I don’t think there’s any other way to look at it. There is a distinct chance. They cannot win in somebody else’s building.”Gabe DeArmond, 810 AMGH: Yes, not only did Mizzou’s SEC rookie season in football result in a bowl-less nightmare football season but now the Tigers’ first run at a basketball title looks doomed. No bowl and no NCAA tourney for MU? Well, at least Mike Alden has plans to spend all that money pouring into Columbia from the SEC.

“This team doesn’t deserve the tournament. LSU and A&M are very poor teams and they are beating the RKelly out of us.”Scott Cruse, @SLLKC

“Missouri, how could you be so heartless?”Carrington Harrison, @cdotharrison, TwitterGH: Jon Sundvold has said that last season the two Kansas City guards, Marcus Denmon and Michael Dixon, were tough-minded players who refused to back down from their opponents. The Tigers look imposing during the lay-up drills but then play like a group of transfer students – all looking a bit lost in Mizzou black and gold. Haith has gathered some talent this season but he has done nothing to make them resemble a team with which Missouri fans can identify.

“My head, heart, fist, feet and coffee table all hurt right now!””Kim English, @Englishcope24, the former Tiger, following MU’s loss at TAMU, Twitter

“[Missouri] has the most schizophrenic team that I’ve seen. They look like world beaters at home and then they go on the road and not only lose but get blown out! They’ve got talent obviously.”Matt Doherty, 810 AM

“Frank Haith out coached AGAIN by an undermanned opponent. The Tigers are loaded, no reason for this.”Peter Fleischer, @Peter_Fleischer, TwitterGH: Call me blind, but I still think Missouri has more talent than almost every other team in the SEC. If MU can stumble into the NCAA tourney, I really think they have the talent to knock off a one-seed.

“It has been a long time since I have seen a team that is as bad at defending the perimeter as Missouri. Missouri is just awful at defending the perimeter. When other teams are shooting 40% and 50% from the three-point line, that’s on you! Frank Haith has continually said this is a better defensive team than last year’s team. It is not. It is a poor defensive team. ”Gabe DeArmond, 810 AMGH: I don’t think MU’s defensive liabilities are limited to their putrid protection of the three-point arc. I see too many backdoor layups and open shooters in every facet of their opponent’s offense. Good defense is simply a “want-to” aspect of a basketball team. Haith’s squad looks like they’re more into “what should I do?”

“How about MU not getting back on the 4 on 1. You have to try to win. Try harder than just giving refs dirty looks when not getting calls.”Soren Petro, @theprogramkc, Twitter

“Frank Haith has no choice. He must take his pants off. There is no other option.”Joe Walljasper, @JoeWalljasper, on Haith’s routine during each close game of removing apparel as the game becomes more dire, TwitterGH: Isn’t that what got Bill Self in trouble at home?

“There were a number of things to dislike about [Mizzou’s game at A&M] and almost all of them involved Phil Pressey or Frank Haith.”Gabe DeArmond, 810 AM

“Man, Phil Pressey makes it hard to love him sometimes.”Sam Mellinger, @mellinger, TwitterGH: Pressey’s game at Texas A&M went from an afternoon stroll with your dog through Loose Park into a drunken 3:00 AM high-speed chase through Westport. And it ended just as you would expect – with Pressey upside down in Brush Creek covered in dung.

“Pressey got Missou back into the game by going to the rim every time. But pulls up for a contested 3 when all he needs is 2 to win?”Dan Wolken, @DanWolken, TwitterGH: Pressey was a pedestrian on the perimeter during the first half of the game. He took over in the final few minutes and magically willed the Tigers not only back in the game but into the lead. And then Pressey Flipped. Read on.

“Terrible sequence for Phil Pressey. Throws ball away for no reason, abandons Harris to double Turner, misses three at end. Not good enough.”Mike DeCourcy, @tsnmike, TwitterGH: Many chapters have been written about how Phil Pressey implodes at crunch time. The chapter he wrote Thursday night in College Station is the kind of science fiction that would make Stephen King cringe. His “pass” into the stands to allow Texas A&M an opportunity to win the game in the last 20 seconds might be the most baffling maneuver in Phil’s college career – and Phil’s list is an impressive one.

“Nothing wrong with the Pressey 3-pt attempt in final seconds. The throw-away on the previous possession, awful.”Blair Kerkhoff, @BlairKerkhoff, TwitterGH: Kerkhoff is the only person I saw who was fine with Pressey’s decision to cast a trey with six ticks on the clock. Well, I’m sure the A&M crowd liked it.

“An inexplicable 24 footer with six seconds on the clock and Jabari Brown standing all alone in the corner.”Gabe DeArmond, on yet another Pressey cast-iron-cryin’ trey to lose the game, 810 AM

“No. 21 Missouri now 0-5 on the road after losing at Texas A&M. Mizzou is the only Top-25 team without a road win this season.”@ESPNStatsInfo, TwitterGH: This stat might be even more embarrassing for Frank Haith than Nevin Shapiro.

“This is why I never gloat. …. When you’re an MU fan, humility is always a game away…”Kurtis Seaboldt, @KSeaboldt, Twitter

“How much blame do you put on Bill Self for that [TCU] game? I say 5% or less.”Danny Parkins, 610 AMGH: Bill Self is paid almost $4 million a year as the head coach of Kansas University. Elijah Johnson and his teammates are not paid a dime. But Parkins thinks they should shoulder 95% of the blame? That is the definition of a soft media.

“Don’t think of this [KU/TCU game] as a conference game. Forget that this was a conference game! This was a completely non-competitive team! This was a complete and utter disaster by the Kansas Jayhawks.”Kevin Kietzman, 810 AMGH: Is KK saying that TCU is headed back to the WAC?

“When you’re terrible two games in a row, it leads me to believe there is some serious internal trouble.”Danny Clinkscale, on Kansas’ two-game losing streak, 810 AMGH: If Kansas stumbles in Norman on Saturday, there are going to be more storylines to explain the Hawks’ demise than an episode of Scandal to chase down.

“I think they’re going to be really good or really bad. However it goes, it’s going to be an interesting story to tell.”Dave Armstrong, on how he sees the next two months for the Kansas Jayhawks, 810 AMGH: Really good is KU easily wins the Big 12 for the ninth straight time. Really bad means KU loses five more conference games and is a six seed in the NCAA tourney. Mizzou would take that really bad scenario.

“Look, I don’t want to attack Matt Brown…”Soren Petro, hesitating on leveling any criticism toward the UMKC head basketball coach, as he discussed how Oral Roberts is able to recruit more and better Kansas City-area athletes than the Roos, 810 AMGH: Petro doesn’t want to attack one of the worst coaches in UMKN history? You know what I was saying about soft media? BTW; UMKC to the WAC? Yeah, that makes about as much sense as their Kangaroo mascot.

“I’ll come out of a broadcast and think I did a pretty good job and then [check out Twitter]. There are some real jerks out there who say some real personal things.”Matt Doherty, 810 AMGH: Ahhh, the thin skin of the media glows always translucent.

“I don’t know why you’re saying I need to lay off Alabama fans! Alabama fans aren’t laying off of me! … When you say I need to lay off of Alabama, you talk to your whacked-out fringe lunatic fan base and tell them they need to lay off of me!”Tim Brando, to an Alabama caller on his sports talk show, Sirius XM 91GH: Roll Damn Tide…

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About Greg Hall

Software guy who has been writing my Off The Couch column in KC newspapers, publications and websites since 1994. Has been bounced from some of the finest media establishments this side of State Line Road. Dad first and everything else second...and there are a lot of everything elses.

Greg, love ya, dude, really, but, and not to put too fine a point on it, but YOU AREN’T ASKING A QUESTION! Just because you used a question mark doesn’t really mean you’re asking a question. You know that, don’t you? You’re not even really making an implication. All your’e doing is asking us, your readers, to make an inference.

“Oh! PANTS! He’s talking about PANTS! He must mean Bill Self is cheating!”

That is what you’re asking us to do on your behalf. Again, Greg, I love ya and I’m a committed OTC junkie. Imma keep coming back regardless, but this is chickenshit. You aren’t even casting aspersions at this stage. All you’re doing is mumbling a few loaded words that you hope lead us into guessing what you want us to guess and then you stand back, having said not a damn thing and say “Why, I just wish more people were asking tough questions like humble me.”

For the love of Christ, just say what you mean to say and quit trying to have us infer it on your behalf.

Yes Greg, 2 days in a row about Self “rumors”. You come back yesterday and say that you had only heard a rumoer about his marriage and now you are insinuating that he had an extra marital affair. I hate to say it, but this is very KKesque. Do you have direct knowledge of what did or did not happen, or are you going tabloid on us??

It’s not like Bill Self knocked up some broad that approached him in a restaurant and wound up costing himself $18/MM. Some perspective….please, at least until the papers are filed. Besides, I’m sure he has T. Boone Pickens on speed dial. He’ll always be OK. Lawrence and KU hoops, not so much.

MU may get a chance to knock off a #1 seed in their first tourney game. Frank Haith has talent but he can’t coach. Give him 5 ballers and he can provide some general direction. As for molding and building a team, he’s more etch-a-sketch than Van Gogh.

Phil needs to change his surname from Pressey to De’Pressey. He makes it appear that like golf, basketball is 90% mental and 10% mental. How someone that at times appears to understand the game intuitively and instinctively makes the decisions he does is truly incomprehensible.

Hall – I’ve read you for 18 years. Enjoyed it. Either put up or shut up with the Bill Self stuff. You are just as bad as the people you criticize with your insinuations and no proof. I know you don’t represent anyone but yourself and you are making yourself look like an ass.

Say it ain’t so. As a Mizzou alum, even I loved Bill Self. Coaches winners. Confident, yet down to earth. Always willing to give meaningful analysis and real quotes during pressers. Big time pay at a Top 5 basketball school. Why is it we humans can rarely enjoy our time on top and realize how good we got it.

Definitely not. I already have a dislike for Kentucky hoops and their fans (very similar to KU) but its not hatred yet. When UK loses it doesn’t make my day like when KU loses. Arkansas will likely turn into our fiercest rival in time. But I don’t see myself ever developing a KU-like hate for anyone in the SEC.

hall, i have no idea about the rumors regarding self, but you are throwing shit against the wall unless you have better intel than you letting on thus far. very disappointing to see you go after a man’s integrity without any legit proof.

WHAT RUMORS?! That isn’t me being a KU homer (which I absolutely admit to being). I haven’t heard them. I asked a friend of mine who does some writing for Jayhawks Illustrated and he hadn’t either (but he admitted he isn’t the most plugged in guy either). So I really don’t know what these rumors are and it’s weird that they’ve “been around for some time.”

So, you know, say what they are. If they’re that old, you must know what the rumors are, right?

Wow, I’m a Cornhusker fan, where basketball is a hobby, not a sport. In other words, I’m not a big basketball fan and I even know what the rumor is. How could a guy that supposedly writes for Jayhawk Illustrated not know these rumors, that is preposterous.

If Mizzou fails to win a road game all season they will not make the Tourney and wouldn’t deserve to. I’m not calling for Haith’s job yet but if they miss the Tourney after being ranked in the top 15 preseason, his seat will be very warm. Miss the Tourney 2 straight years and its bye bye. Very similar to my stance on Pinkel. Mizzou athletics have progressed the last few years to the point where we expect bowl games and NCAA Tournament appearances. Anything less than that more than once in a great while is unacceptable.

And why do these “rumors” only come out after a bad loss? Greg, you have not said a word about them during the 18 game win streak, but now suddenly, the have “been around for a while”. Sorry man, I expect a bit more. Throwing crap out there like you have the last 2 days is very hypocritical.

So a delted phog.net post about Bill Self’s so called marital issues caused you to make insinuating comments 2 days in a row with absolutely nothing to back it up. And then you play dumb and say it read as a question. Again, I have come to expect more from you and have held you to a higher accountability than most of the hacks on the radio. If you know something for a fact, spill it Greg. Otherwise, whay even make such a comment?

“Man, Phil Pressey makes it hard to love him sometimes.”
Sam Mellinger, @mellinger, Twitter
GH: Pressey’s game at Texas A&M went from an afternoon stroll with your dog through Loose Park into a drunken 3:00 AM high-speed chase through Westport. And it ended just as you would expect – with Pressey upside down in Brush Creek covered in dung.”

I couldn’t have said it better. You describe Pressey perfectly on most nights. Damn the frustration.

“The coach of my favorite basketball team did NOT get kicked out of his house. He did NOT cheat on his wife. They have a perfect marriage. How dare you imply anything else? I don’t know him, but he would NEVER do such a thing”

Seriously, you are speculating on Internet message board threads? Did you demand local reporters investigate the ‘bill self to Arkansas’ threads that occurred during two different coaching searches. How about the message board thread that claimed that Ben Mclemore tore his Achilles? Did you want reporting on that? How about all the threads on MU and KSU boards that state that the Big 12 protects KU with officiating? Where is your curiosity on that subject? Shouldn’t you demand that the Big 12 be investigated?

You do realize that anyone at any time can write a post on a message board, right? If I post a message right now that I’ve heard that Bill Synder has dementia and that Frank Haith is his health care provider, will you insist that the media investigate the claim?

It is ridiculous to report internet message board rumors, even if they turn out to be true. This becomes a semi story if somebody files for divorce, but not a second before hand.

Why’s that ridiculous to mention rumors on the Internet on an Internet comment page, you stooge. I like Greg’s page, though it’s not like it’s Woodward and Bernstein here. Although, I don’t understand why it’s “ridiculous to report on something that turns out to be true,” I guess if it turns out in favor of the beakers it’s ok??? Good game tonight.